Wilmington, NC News

Archive for June, 2012

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — When you think of a dangerous line of work, restaurant delivery may not be at the top of that list. But with several incidents in Wilmington in the past few months, including a possible homicide earlier this week, restaurants are taking every precaution when it comes to the safety of their drivers.

“Times are tough and people are going to drastic measures,” said Jason Mansperger, a manager at Fat Tony’s. “You’d like to think the best in everyone but you have to watch out and be safe. We have to look out for our employees first and foremost.”

Thursday the body of a delivery driver was found near 13th and Queen Streets.

Fat Tony’s Pub says they saw what happened on WWAY and are avoiding that area for the time being.

They say they already stay away from certain parts of the city for various reasons, including if they have had problems in an area in the past.

“If you talk to them on the phone you can usually tell, you know, if it’s kind of a shady order or if there is something that doesn’t seem right about it,” said Dean Goodyear, a delivery driver at Fat Tony’s. “If they pay with a credit card that doesn’t seem like it’s theirs, it’s pretty easy to figure out what’s going on.”

Goodyear has been delivering pizzas for Fat Tony’s for around 3 years. He says if he doesn’t feel safe, the managers tell him to simply turn around.

“I have not delivered to places before, yah, I talked to my boss about it,” said Goodyear.

Another red flag is on extremely small orders, especially when callers ask for change for $100. It sounds cliche but for Fat Tony’s, they say in those situations, it’s better safe than sorry.

“You hate to hear about these things happening but it’s not an everyday thing. It’s not something you expect, it’s nothing you want to hear,” said Mansperger.

Police say the case of the 60-year-old man who died while on duty for his restaurant is still under investigation.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) – The military says a 31-year-old paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg has died in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department said Sunday that Staff Sgt. Nicholas C. Fredsti of San Diego, Calif., was on patrol Friday in Spedar when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. He died from his injuries after being evacuated.

He was promoted posthumously to staff sergeant and awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.

Fredsti joined the Army in August 2000, graduating from the U.S. Army Airborne school later that year. He deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to Iraq before leaving again for Ghazni, Afghanistan, earlier this year.

He is survived by his father and mother, Carl and Sherry Fredsti of San Diego.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)